Lifting rod



Feb. 28, 1950 J. KERSHAW 2,499,027

I LIFTING ROD Filed June -2'7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN GREEN KERsHAw Feb. 28, 1950 Filed June 2'7, 1946 J. G. KERSHAW LIFT-ENG ROD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN GREEN KERSHAW Patented Feb. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John G. Kershaw, Westmount, Quebec, Canada Application June 27, 1946, Serial No. 679,709 In Canada Mayl, 1946' 1 Claim. (01. 57-137) Introduction This invention relates to textile machinery and has particular reference to spinning and twister frames employed in the processing of various fibres such as, for instance, including cotton, wool, and worsted.

Machinery of this nature, taking a spinning frame for example, includes generally an elongated stationary frame mounted on the floor of the mill and several horizontal ring rails which are mounted for vertical movement in relation to the main frame. I These rails are usually mounted on the upper end of lifting rods or pokers of which there are several along the length of the frame and which extend downward through pairs of fixed horizontal spindle rails in the frame, engaging axially aligned bushings in openings in the respective fixed rails. Each of the lifting rods extend downwards to a point of contact with an actuating member, as for instance, a lever, which is so connectedv to the drive of the machinery that the lifting rods are raised and lowered in timed relationship to the spinning apparatus on the frame. The moveable rails and their attendant mechanism are balanced by means of weights.

In'English machinery'the rails overbalance the weights slightly, so that the rails normally tend to gravitate, while in American machinery the reverse is true. In either. case only a slight force is required to. move the rails in the direction opposite to which they are normally urged by the weighting, so that the operation of the device depends on free sliding movement between the individual poker or lifting rod and the bushin through which this rod slides.

Likewise, a number of lifting rods for the thread board of the mechanism are usually spaced apart the length ofthe apparatus.

Since the lifting rods operate close to the point where spinning or twisting takes place, a large amount of. floating fibre known as fly, orwaste, is present, especially when. coarse counts are being spun or twisted. One. of the phenomena that has always been associated with machinery of the type described is that. this .fiy and dust accumulates above the lifting rod. and. is. taken into the bushing in which. this rod operates so as eventually to become .anv obstruction. to the free movement of the lifting rod up and down be twelve or more of these lirtingprods at each side the .frame"and if anwone should stick, 55

2 the bobbins on the side ofv the frame where. the stickingtakes place will be spoiled in shape, which causes trouble and waste at a subsequent operation.

According to the present invention there is provided a textile spinning or twisting frame, comprising a fixed rail, a substantially vertical bearing sleeve supported by said rail, amovable rail, a substantially vertical lifting rod disposed to reciprocate slidably within said sleeve and connected to said movable rail. The bearing sleeve has an inner annular wall and is of a normally circular cross section. The rod isalso of a normally overall circular cross section with the periphery including a plurality of flattened portions, each of the flattened portions constituting a minor chord of the circumference of the rod-and extending parallel to the axis thereto. The flattened portions of therod are substantially equal in width and are equally spaced apart about the surface of the rod, the unflattened portions of the rod being adapted torbear against the inner annular wall of the bearing sleeve. The flattened and bearing portions are continuous and undivided in the axial direction of the rod and are of uniform dimensions throughout their length presenting a smooth un- Objects .Having regard to the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a structure for mechanisms of. the type described, in which the tendency for the lifting rods to jam is eliminated.

It is a further object ofv the invention to provideadevice of. this nature in which. the accumulation of fly is inherently non-attendant to the structure.

It is astill. further-object of the'zinvention to provide a device of this type which is simple in construction and in operation and which. can be readily applied to apparatus now existing and in use.

The drawings The. invention. will now be more. fully described by reference to a. spinning Lframe including preferred embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, being a general arrangement of a spinning frame equipped according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-section taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, and showing in particular the relationship of one of the lifting rods, the spindle rail, and the ring rail carried by the lifting rod.

Figure 3 is a cross-section along the line 33 of Figure 2, showing particularly the cross-sectional shape of the lifting rod employed in this particular apparatus.

Detailed description Referring in more detail to the figures, I I and I5 illustrate the usual spindle rails of the spinning frame, spaced apart as indicated and connected by a web II. These spindle rails are supported by the end of the spinning frame, as will be well understood by one skilled in the art, and which for simplicity has been omitted from the drawing. The spindles have also been omitted, but it will be understood that they are mounted as usual on the spindle rail and driven by the usual tape drive from an appropriate source of power.

Each spindle rail carries, in spaced apart openings, bushings 2U. Slidably mounted in each axially aligned pair of bushings is a lifting rod or poker 25. A number of these rods are located at intervals along the length of the spinning frame. Each rod is connected at its upper end with a ring rail 30, which the lifting rods support and move. At the lower end of each lifting rod is a foot which is held to the rod by a collar and set screw. Contacting this foot is a roller mounted on the end of a lever M which is carried on an axle 43 extending through a bi urcated bracket 45. The bracket 45 is carried on a bracket 4'! extending downwardly from the lower spindle rail II.

In accordance with the specific form of the present invention now being described, the lifting rod 25 is circular in overall cross-section as best shown in Fig. 3. It is provided with flats 26equally spaced apart about the circumference and extending parallel to the axis of the rod thus providing spaces between the working surface of the bushings 20 and the working sur- 0 faces or lands 2'! of the lifting rod. While the rod has been described as preferably circular in cross-section, it will be understood that it can be of other shapes to agree with the shape of the bushing in which it is slidably engaged. In any event, it is provided with the clearance surfaces 26 whichare adapted to clear the bushing, and lands 2'! intervening such clearance surfaces, these lands having guiding surfaces adapted to engage the working surface of the bushing.

Operation In operation, the shaft 43 is rotated first in one direction, then in the other, in timed relation by the mechanism of the spinning frame and this reciprocal motion is transferred through the lever M to the lifting rods 25 which are caused to move up and down thus bringing about the vertical traversing movement of the rings on the ring rails necessary for the spinning operation.

In accordance with the invention, the special lifting rods serve, in conjunction with the bushing or otherelement inwhich they are slidably mounted, to prevent the accumulation of fly. In

one specific instance, a lifting rod was inch in diameter and circular in normal cross-section, was efiicient as a lifting rod where flats inch wide were employed. It was fond that fly and dust would fall through the bushings to the floor. Where lifting rods and bushings of the normal circular cross-section throughout required cleaning at intervals of one month, an arrangement using the specially constructed rods would operate without trouble for man months.

Thread boards The present invention also includes the conception of constructing the lifting rods for the thread boards of the apparatus similarly to those for the ring rail. In Fig. l the thread boards are indicated at 50. These boards are supported by lifting rods 53, each of which extends downward to include a foot 55. This foot is contacted by the end of an arm 58 having a roller 59 for the actual contact with the foot. The arm 58 is adjustably mounted on the lever 4| as at 68 so that when this lever is raised and lowered the lifting rod for the thread boards is also raised and lowered in the same manner as the lifting rods for the spindle rail. Brackets H3 connected to the spindle rails II and I5 include bushings II which slidably engage the thread board lifting rods 53.

Materials The parts of the apparatus are constructed generally of conventional materials. Usually, the bushings are of cast iron or brass, and the lifting rods of cold rolled mild steel. The bearing surfaces'are generally left unlubricated owing to the problem mentioned above, and lubrication is not essential with parts constructed according to the invention.

The mechanism is conventional apart from the inventive features described, and provided with the usual drive mechanism which from the linkage described acts on the lifting rods. The in vention is applicable to any type of machinery in which the problem discussed arises, and has particular reference to spinning and twister frames for a wide variety of fibres including particularly, those from which lint or waste emanates, such as cotton, wool, worsted, and asbestos.

It will be understood that, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims, various modifications may be made in the specific expendients described. The latter are illustrative only and not offered in a restricting sense, it being desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as may be required by the state of the prior art.

The sub-titles used throughout the specification are merely to simplify reference thereto and should otherwise be disregarded.

I claim:

A textile spinning or twisting frame, comprising, a fixed spindle rail, a substantiall vertical bearing sleeve supported by said rail, a movable ring rail, a substantially vertical lifting rod disposed to reciprocate slidably within said sleeve and connected to said movable rail, said bearing sleeve having an inner annular wall and being of a normally circular cross section, the periphcry of the rod including a plurality of flattened portions each constituting a minor chord of the circumference of the rod and extending parallel to the axis thereto, the said flattened portions being substantially equal in width and being spaced apart substantially-equally'about the-surface of 6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date Quinn Mar. 18, 1913 Cothran Sept. 21, 1920 Gossett Mar. 24, 1925 Osgood June 6, 1933 Anderson Apr. 11, 1939 

